Number of Debtors Committed by Court to Civil Prison in Past 10 Years

Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Law in the past 10 years ending on 31 December 2021, how many debtors were committed by a Court to civil prison under section 6(1), 6(3) or 15(1) of the Debtors Act on the ground of inability to pay their respective judgment debts or failure to furnish security for appearance in Court in relation to civil proceedings against them.

Such orders are not specifically tracked. A manual review of data in the Courts’ e-Litigation system on a best-efforts basis showed no records of any orders for committal to civil prison under the Debtors Act under section 6(1), 6(3) or 15(1) from 2013 to date.

Data on applications made under the Debtors Act prior to 2013 is not readily available.